Approval from the Government Office is seen as the final hurdle for the multi-million pound project, and clears the way for the council to develop a 300,000 tonne-a-year capacity facility at Four Ashes, near Cannock.
This is prudent financial and environmental management in action
John Taylor, Staffordshire county council
The plant – which is being developed under the title of ‘Project W2R' – received planning permission from the county council in November and its capital costs will be partially funded by Staffordshire's £122.4 million PFI award (see letsrecycle.com story).
Following the Government Office decision, John Taylor, leader of Staffordshire county council, said: “We have recognised the challenge and planned ahead – explaining and consulting effectively and then forging ahead in delivering the right solution to protect the people of Staffordshire from the snowballing costs of landfill.”
“This is prudent financial and environmental management in action. We have refused to put our heads in the sand and hope this problem goes away. That's why council's across the UK are now looking at how Staffordshire is getting the job done,” he added.
Contract
The 25-year contract to design, build and operate the plant is currently being contested by American energy-from-waste technology firm Covanta; German incineration company MWV Umwelt; a consortium between Shanks Group and EfW experts Wheelabrator; and, French-owned Veolia Environmental Services.
On December 24 2008, Staffordshire issued detailed papers to the remaining bidders outlining what the council required from the facility and, in the next stage of the tender process, it intends to reduce the remaining shortlist to two by March 31, 2009. The council is hopeful of naming a preferred bidder in May 2010.
Once operational in 2013, the site is expected to process 140,000 tonnes-a-year of residual waste from Staffordshire, as well as 40,000 tonnes from Warwickshire, 50,000 tonnes from Walsall and 60,000 tonnes from Sandwell metropolitan borough council (see letsrecycle.com story ).
Concern
Some concerns have been raised about the need to develop the project due to the capacity available at sites in the vicinity, with opposition groups pointing to the fact that Staffordshire already operates an energy-from-waste facility at Stoke-on-Trent and there is a facility five miles from the proposed Four Ashes site, in Wolverhampton, which has been reported as currently operating at 30,000 tonnes below its capacity.
Issues over the project have also been raised within the county, with South Staffordshire district council requesting further investigations be made into the traffic and construction elements of the proposal at a regulatory meeting in September 2008 (see letsrecycle.com story).
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